“Lahore’s Public Transportation Faces Transformation as Subsidies for Orange Line Project are Terminated”
Lahore: The decision to end subsidies on the Orange Line was made. The decision to end subsidies was taken in a meeting chaired by Punjab Minister of Transport, Ibrahim Murad. Provincial Minister received a detailed briefing from Punjab Mass Transit Authority’s Business Development Manager, Muhammad Taimoor. The meeting was attended by Secretary of the Transport Department Punjab, Ahmed Javed Qazi, Secretary PMAY, Business Development Manager PMAY, and others. The decision to end subsidies on Orange Line Train, Pakistan Metro Bus, Lahore Metro, Multan Metro, and Lahore and Multan Feeder Buses was made, resulting in an increase in fares. Ibrahim Murad stated that government entities should bear the burden of their subsidies. Mass Transit Authority should bear its financial burden. With full utilization of Mass Transit Authority Punjab’s commercialization, they can generate an annual revenue of 2 to 3 billion rupees.
He further stated that if the revenue of the department increases, the burden of subsidies given to public transport projects will definitely decrease. He mentioned that under the administration of Mass Transit Authority, 700,000 to 800,000 people travel daily in public transport. Mass Transit Authority Punjab can generate 1 million rupees in commercial usage. By fully implementing Mass Transit Authority Punjab’s financial action plan, an annual revenue of 2 to 3 billion rupees can be collected.
Earlier, Provincial Minister of Transport, Live Stock, Mines and Minerals Punjab, Ibrahim Murad, visited the Anarkali Station of Orange Line Metro Train and also conducted a detailed review of all administrative matters. On this occasion, Provincial Minister Ibrahim Murad said that during this period of inflation, public transport is a major relief for the general public. More than 100,000 people travel on the Orange Line Metro Train daily. People should be provided with all possible facilities, and any compromise on the provision of passenger travel facilities will not be tolerated.
